Ferdinand servus



(No Model.)

F. SERVUS. FRAME PoR PICTURES, MIRRORS, R0.

No. 432,910. Patented July 22, 1890.

lit..

WITNESSES @GMW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND SERVUS, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

FRAME FOR PICTURES, MIRRORS, soo.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,910, dated July 22, 1890. Application led April 25, 1890. Serial No. 349,466. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND SEEvUs, a subject of the King of Prussia, and a resident of Berlin, in the Kingdom of-Prussia and E1npire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frames vfor Pictures, Mirrors, and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to frames for pictures, mirrors, and the like; and it has for its object to facilitate the ready insertion and removal of the object to be incloscd and held by the frame.

lVhile the invention is 'primarily intended to be applied to frames into which the picture, ornamental glass cover, mirror or panel, dac., is inserted from the front, itis obviously applicable where the device to be inclosed and held by the frame is inserted from the back.

By my invention the necessity for using nails or screws for securing the object in the frame and for withdrawing such nails or screws when removing said object from the frame is done away with.

In carrying out my invention I attach to the frame at suitable places--on a square or angular frame, preferably, but not necessarily, at the corners--lips or tongues actuated by or moving on or against springs and capa ble of being' turned up, turned round about a pivot, or drawn back for insertion or removal of the object held by the frame. Vhen turned down or extended over the object within the frame and held by the action of the spring, the lip or tongue serves as a guard to prevent the picture or the like from fall-.

ing out of the frame. The said lips or tongues are preferably parts of metallicor other pieces, serving to ornament the frame when placed on its front, the lips or tongues being so combined with the ornamental pieces as ordinarily to be concealed, so as not to be readily y detected as movable parts by the observer.

My invention will now be described indetail, and the features of novelty for which 4protection by Letters Patent is desired will be set out in the claims at the end hereof.

In the accompanying drawings, which forms a part of this specification, andin which like parts are indicated by like letters of reference in the several Views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a frame suitable for pictures, mirrors, dac., and embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the back of said frame, showing` the device for supporting the frame, which device is pivoted to the frame to bear upon a ilat spring fixed in the frame, the said device in this view being turned up in the position it assumes when serving as a means for hanging up the frame. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 9, showing the frame standing, theframe being thus supported by turning the hanging device down, in which position it serves as a leg, as shown. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through line l l of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is asimilar view showing the tongue turned down, while Fig. 4e shows said tongue turned up. Fig. 6 shows a back view of the tongue attachment secured to the corner of a frame, the tongue. in this instance being arranged to slide instead of to turn up and down. Fig. 7 is a sectional view through lines 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. S is a plan View of another embodiment of the tongue attachment, this view showing the tongue arranged to turn round on apivot. Fig. 9 is a sectional View Von line 9 9 of Fig. 8, and Fig. l0 is a modification of the hanging and supporting device shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a frame adapted to receive audlhold a picture, mirror, or the like, the frame in this instance being rectangular in form; but my invention is applicable to round, oval, or other shaped frames as well as angular frames. B indi cates the object to be held by the frame, or a glass cover laid over the picture or panel within the frame, and C the tongue attachment, by means of which the object or glass cover is held in the frame in a readily-removable manner. In Fig. l the tongue attachments C are shown applied to the front of the frame A, and in this case, as will be seen, they are designed (being arranged on the frame) to serve as ornaments. The attachment of Fig. l, which is shown in section in Figs. 4 and 5, comprises a metallic piece a, iitted 011 its under side with an actuating-spring b, and a tongue c, so pivoted at d to the piece a as to press with its heel c on the spring b, thereby causing the outer end of the tongue to bear upon the object B in the frame, as seen in Fig. 2, where the tongue is shown turned down IOO onto the obj ect B. The obj ect is removed from the frame by turning up the tongues in the position shown in Fig. 3. For the sake of symmetry, the tongue attachments will be placed at all points of the frame Where the obj ectA B should receive support; but as two, or in some instances even one, of the tongue attachments will answer the purpose of permitting-the removal of the obj ect inclosed by the frame some of the ornamental pieces may be dummies and have no movable part, especially where the purpose is to puzzle the casual observer as to the manner of removing the contents of the frame.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the tongue c, instead of be.

ing pivoted to turn up and bear with its heel against the spring b, it is arranged to slide out and in to cover or uncover the edge or corner of the obj ect B. In these views, which show one form of this manner of combining the tongue with its support, the tongue c is slotted at f and slides within the ornamental support on a pin g and beneath the spring b, which b ears on the tongue c sufficiently to keep the latter in' proper relation to the object Within the frame When the tongue is slid out over said object.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the tongue c is pivoted to the ornamental support so as to turn round on its pivot in being brought in position to impinge against the obj ectB Within the frame. In this case the ornamental support for the tongue c is so shapedl as to serve as a spring, so co-operatin g with the tongue as to cause the latter to exert the required pressure against the object held in the frame.

- The frame Ais provided at its back with a device D, adapted, when turned up as seen in Fig. 2, to serve to hang the frame on a nail, said device having a hole in its outer end for that purpose, as shown, and when turned down, as seen in Fig. 3, to serve as a leg to sustain the frame in the inclined position shown in this View. The device D is pivoted to the back of the frame A, and is provided with a heel h, which bears upon the stiff flat springt', held within an opening in the frame.

Vhen turned up, as in Fig. 2, the pressure of the spring 1l against the heel h tends to keep the device D against the back of the frame, and in this position the frame may be suspended from a nail, as stated. Vhen turned down, as in Fig. 3, the iiat surface of heel h seats against the spring t' andv supports the device D in proper position to serve as a leg to sustain the frame in the inclined position shown in Fig. 3. Applied to a round, oval,

or odd-shaped frame, tWo of the supports D,

some distance apart, may be attached to the back of the frame, so as to spread their legs apart when turned down to sustain the frame in a standing position, and When turned up for hanging the frame the holes of both supports Will come together as a single hole. (See Fig. l0.)

It will be understood of course that the tongue attachment maybe made of various shapes and materials and ornamented in many Ways, and that the principle of the invention is applicable to frames of any shape and adapted for containing any of the objects to be held by frames, and While the tongue is illustrated as amovable part of an ornamental metallic piece, it may be embodied in a plain xture adapted to be secured to the front or back of the frame.

I do not claim a Wire picture frame or stand provided with hooks, the wire frame itself serving as springs, as such a construction is shown in United States Letters Patent No. 328,738. My invention is intended for solid frames.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, With a frame for pictures, mirrors, and the like, of 'li ps or tongues secured to said frame and independent actuating-springs on or against which said lips or tongues move, whereby the contents of the frame are held or released, substantially as set forth.

2. The device C for securing pictures, mirrors, and the likein their frames, provided with a pivoted tongue or lip, and an independent spring co-operating with such tongue or lip to hold the latter when extended over or onto the object in the frame or its glass front against such object or glass front, substantially as set forth. j

3. The combination, with a frame for pictures and thelike, of an attachment C, provided With tongue c, pivoted at d and operating, When turned down, to hold an object in the frame and when turned up to permit the ready removal of such object, substantially as set forth.

TOO

4. The combination, with a frame for pictures and the like, of an ornamental attachment permanently fixed to the frame and provided with a lip or tongue forming a movable portion of the ornamental attachment, and operating substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. A frame for pictures, mirrors, and the like, having lips or tongues secured thereto actuated by independent springs and operating to hold or release the contents of the frame, and having' a device pivoted at its back and serving as a means for hanging up the frame as Well as for supporting the same lin a standing position, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire, this 19th day of February, A. D. 1890.

FERDINAND SERVUS.

Witnesses:

W. H. EDWARDS, R. DHEUREUSE.

IIO 

